UN Human Rights Council resolution on Syria biased: Russian FM

MOSCOW, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Saturday called a resolution on Syria approved by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) biased and counterproductive.

"It is aimed against the Syrian government and ignores the crimes, which the radical opposition committed," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The resolution, initiated by the United States, Britain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, was passed Friday with the support of 37 countries. Venezuela opposed the resolution while nine countries abstained. Russia could not vote because it only has observer status.

The motion put excessive emphasis on the role of Hezbollah militants fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while paying little attention to "thousands of trained, armed and well- paid terrorists hired from abroad," the ministry said.

Russia also accused the resolution of attempting to give greater credibility to the Syrian National Council, a major opposition group against al-Assad.

Meanwhile, many moderate opposition groups, which "obliged to observe the human rights and said they are ready to participate in the inter-Syrian dialogue within the international conference on Syria, are ignored," the statement said.

The resolution came just one day after the U.S. said that it would begin supplying arms to the Syrian opposition.

Also on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed an alleged U.S. plan to set no-fly zone over Syria, saying it would be a violation of international law.